Supreme Court to hear arguments on same-sex marriage this month

>>> with my political philosophy . including family values , including being a conservative who believes the family is a building block of society.

>> rob portman , the senator from ohio, the most recent opponent of same-sex marriage to have a change of heart . the final word on marriage equality could depend on the nine justices of the supreme court . how they take the case in arguments two weeks from now. joining me now, chad griffin, president of the human rights campaign and importantly, you were the precip tore of the original challenge to prop 8 in california, you were the person who hired david boys and ted olsen in your previous ole before you came to washington and now we're two weeks away from this argument. we're on the edge of history here either way.

>> without question. we truly are now at a turning point in this movement. we have never had such an historic case, we have two cases, prop 8, the case about a state passing a law that prevents gay and lesbian people from having the freedom to marry . while at the same time d.o.m.a., the federal ban on recognition of states that have marriage equality and it's really incredible. as you saw with senator portman today. what senator portman and his wife have gone through is the same kind of evolution that every american goes through on this issue.

>> that your family went through.

>> indeed, it's exactly. that's what i was thinking about my own family. when i heard that incredible news this morning. and you know, senator portman is now joins a long list of americans , democrats, republican, independent alike who are supporting the right to marry the person that they love. and they came to that because of a personal reason. he put personal over politics, quite frankly. and his son coming out to his and his wife have been together for 26 years want nothing more than the same right for their own son. in a town where no one agrees these days on anything, increasingly the two political parties and those in both parties are actually agreeing on marriage equality . the country is ready.

>> is the white house ready? because the president did not go as far in their amicus brief as some in your community would have wanted.

>> the president made history in both his inaugural address and he followed it up with action. when he filed the solicitor general filed the brief in the perry case, joining the side of the plaintiffs, in a side that proposition 8 is unconstitutional. and that's the specific case before this court. they also acknowledged there are seven other states similarly situate dodd california. they suggested that other state laws that come next in future challenges should be viewed through the same lens of heightened scrutiny. we should look down upon laws that deny a certain group of citizens, a minority in this country, the rights that the majority enjoys.

>> what is your message to the republican party as an organized party, because of its platform, because of where it's candidates have been and where cpac is today?

>> there is no question where this country is questioneded on marriage equality and it's headed there fast. a majority of republicans under 40 support marriage equality . a majority of catholics support marriage equality . and it's going to become increasingly difficult to get elected to office if you're on the side of discrimination and hate. so i urge all democrats, independents and republicans, to get on the right side of history and now is the time.

>> are you disappointed that the, the conclave has chosen a pope, pope francis, who while be praised by many for his ex-em playerly outreach to the poor has really hard positions, traditional positions of the church against homosexuals?

>> i've seen some of what he said in the past. he comes from a country that the anti marriage side lost. maurj equality was the law of the land . it is my hope that the new pope will really take a hard look at that position. at the end of the day , we were all taught the golden rule . i went to a jess witness university. i learned about catholic soernl thought. we are to care for the poor and underprivileged and we are to treat everyone equally under the law. i do believe at the end of the day , the church is going to have to catch up where the vast majority of the world is headed on this issue. i'll remain optimistic that he and the church are